Is Su Ran That Immortal Master?

"Third Brother, isn't this Peach Blossom Spring Academy? Why did you bring me here?"

"Shh, Xiao Wu, keep your voice down. From what I've observed, the recent Soul Beast cries likely came from Peach Blossom Spring Academy.

We can use this chance to observe how the students of Peach Blossom Spring Academy train. That way, we can find their weaknesses and help Boss Dai and Fatty defeat them later."

"Oh, so Third Brother, you came to peep. Third Brother, you're really skilled at climbing walls."

"Shh, this is called Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy—Hundred Battles, Hundred Victories. You can't call it peeping."

"Scaling walls and running over rooftops is just a little trick. If you want to learn, I can teach you later."

"Come on, Xiao Wu."

When they arrived outside the walls of Peach Blossom Spring Academy, Xiao Wu saw Tang San skillfully scaling the wall, finding a blind spot on a roof to hide in and observe the scene inside the academy. Only then did she realize that Tang San had dragged her here to spy on Peach Blossom Spring Academy.

The two of them sat by the outer eaves of Peach Blossom Spring Academy's storage room. Faint starlight spilled down as Tang San began carefully observing the academy's layout.

He had chosen a very good position. From there, he could see most of Peach Blossom Spring Academy, and it was some distance from the Inner Court where Su Ran was, making it less easy for them to be noticed.

From this ability to choose a peeping spot, it was clear this wasn't his first offense.

"The campus environment of Peach Blossom Spring Academy really is beautiful. We Shrek can't compare to this place. Endless peach blossoms, swaying red maples, glittering starlight—it's truly romantic. Unfortunately, they're our opponents."

"Xiao Wu, look. Peach Blossom Spring Academy is roughly divided into three main parts: front, middle, and inner. The Front Courtyard is the school gate and the small entrance square. I think normally only Wang Sheng should be active there.

The Middle Courtyard seems to be a training ground, with Iron Stakes, Silver Threads, and the like set up. These should all be used for training. It looks like my guess was right—the teaching methods of Peach Blossom Spring Academy's Teacher should be rather novel.

The Inner Court's environment is even more relaxed, with gardens, pools, and elegant residences and tea pavilions. It seems this Teacher Su Ran of Peach Blossom Spring Academy really does live quite leisurely and tastefully."

"Xiao Wu, look quickly. No wonder Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing are improving so rapidly. Even at night, they're still cultivating."

Suddenly, Tang San focused, pointing toward the Girls' Dormitory of the academy.

On the roof of Peach Blossom Spring Academy's Girls' Dormitory, several skylights had been opened, with wooden latticework made into grilles. When the weather was good, they would open the skylights and sit cross-legged inside, breathing in the essence of the sun and moon.

Three faint glows of different colors circled in the air above the dormitory. Xiao Wu might not quite understand what they were, but Tang San, who cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill and also cleansed and tempered his body with the essence of the sun and moon, understood very well. Those were the students of Peach Blossom Spring Academy cultivating.

Following the direction Tang San pointed, Xiao Wu also sensed something unusual about the dormitory building over there. That did not look like an ordinary Soul Master's cultivation.

"Xiao Wu, from now on, we'll observe their situation here. I refuse to believe we can't find flaws in their Cultivation Method."

Xiao Wu glanced at Tang San's serious expression and hugged her bundle tighter.

"Um, Third Brother, actually, tonight I was planning to..."

"Roar—"

Just as Xiao Wu was hesitating over whether to say goodbye to Tang San and go find the Immortal Master in her heart, a tiger's roar faintly rang out again.

Xiao Wu could not help looking in the direction of the sound. She saw that between the Front Courtyard square and the Martial Arts Arena of Peach Blossom Spring Academy, beneath two lush Peach Trees, the shadowy figures of two bound Soul Beasts were faintly trembling inside.

It was only because the Peach Blossom Trees were swaying that the area they were in looked hazy and indistinct, making it impossible to see their full appearance. At night, they were difficult to spot right away.

"The Soul Beast roar really did come from Peach Blossom Spring Academy. These two are both savage, violent Soul Beasts. Su Ran probably brought them back from the Star Dou Great Forest."

"Tch. He's quite good to his students, actually bringing Soul Beasts back to the academy from five hundred li away and raising them here so his students can hunt them easily. And they're even rare Soul Beasts."

A wisp of purple appeared in Tang San's eyes. He could also see the movements at night clearly.

To say he was not envious would definitely be a lie.

After all, he had never received treatment like this. Back when he hunted his first Soul Ring, he and Master had spent tremendous effort in the forest before they managed to help kill a Mandala Snake. How could there have been such a good thing as having it delivered to his door?

"Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu?! Where are you?"

Only after Tang San clicked his tongue softly did he realize Xiao Wu beside him had already disappeared.

The purple light in his eyes intensified. Activating Purple Demon Eye, he finally caught sight of Xiao Wu in the darkness.

Xiao Wu was crawling along the eaves toward the edge, finding a better position, staring fixedly at the Soul Beasts beneath the two Peach Blossom Trees.

At that moment, Xiao Wu's gaze was extremely complicated, as though she had fallen into some puzzle.

Those two Soul Beasts... looked so familiar.

She seemed to have seen them somewhere before.

Yes, she had seen them. They were the very two Soul Beasts that had been taken away by that Immortal Master she had glimpsed in the Star Dou Great Forest that day. Whether in species, bloodline, or physique, there was hardly any difference!

How could there be such a coincidence in the world?

And yet those two Soul Beasts just so happened to appear inside Peach Blossom Spring Academy?

What exactly was going on?

Could it be that the person she had seen was in Peach Blossom Spring Academy?

Then why had he never shown himself?

That sentence echoed again in Xiao Wu's mind:

"Lower your head and pinch the wings of your nose with your fingers."

Xiao Wu then thought again of that Peach Immortal Teacher in Peach Blossom Spring Academy, the one who stayed hidden and often wore a mask, only showing himself the few times he stood up for his students. His figure, his voice, at this moment, seemed to overlap with that Immortal Master...

"Could it be him!"

Could the man she had seen back then in the Star Dou Great Forest really be Peach Blossom Spring Academy's Teacher, Su Ran?!!!

Xiao Wu's eyes went wide, and she froze on the spot, hardly able to believe it. It was as if she were dreaming, standing there stiff as a statue, motionless, dumbstruck.

You're saying I clearly had the chance back then to take an Immortal Master as my teacher, but I missed such a perfect opportunity and ended up at Shrek instead?

You're saying that peerlessly handsome man I fell in love with at first sight in the Star Dou Great Forest is a teacher from a rival academy?

Ah—

Xiao Wu wanted to die.

But if she could choose the way she died, she would rather first uncover the truth, then die on that unparalleled man's bed.

The flowing waters dried up; she could die without regret.

"..."

"Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu?"

"Xiao Wu, what were you about to say just now?"

"Are you interested in these two soul beasts?"

Tang San called to her several times in a row before Xiao Wu slowly came back to her senses. She hurriedly forced herself to calm down, but her wildly pounding heart had already betrayed her.

Xiao Wu hugged her bag tight. She was not leaving.

"Third Brother, from now on, I want to come observe Peach Blossom Spring Academy every day. Can you help me?"

"Every day? I can, but... Xiao Wu, why..."

Tang San did not quite understand why, after Xiao Wu saw those two soul beasts, she seemed like an entirely different person, as if she had come alive again, excited and full of energy.

Ever since that trip to the Star Dou Great Forest, Xiao Wu had become very strange.

"If you can, that's all that matters! You'll know the reason later. When the time comes, Third Brother, you'll definitely be amazed!"

"Third Brother, if I found the person I liked, the person I wanted to be with forever for the rest of my life, would you support me and give me your blessing?"

"Huh???"

"Xiao Wu, what about me?"

"You're Third Brother. I see you as the good older brother I trust the most."

"Xiao Wu, you—"

Tang San looked at Xiao Wu with a complicated expression. "Xiao Wu, do you think that savior of yours is inside Peach Blossom Spring Academy?"